Canzano blog: Let's not close the door on Oregon safety John Boyett just yet

View full sizeBruce Ely, The OregonianJohn Boyett (No. 20) will have a six-month rehab from surgeries.

Cringed at the thought of Oregon safety John Boyett being out for the season. Read Adam Jude's piece on Boyett's decision to shut it down.

The safety has been a lot of fun to watch play, and here's hoping his surgeries and recovery go well. He indicated in a statement to his hometown newspaper that he's been playing in a lot of pain, and needs surgeries on both patellar tendons.

I'll have an update on Boyett's prognosis, and some news on wide receiver Josh Huff's injury status at 12p on Monday on the BFT radio show (12p-3p on 750-AM).

Boyett will have a six-month rehab from the surgeries and will likely pursue his NFL dream at that point, but let's stop the talk about Boyett being an unlikely candidate for a sixth year of eligibility.

Boyett has already used his redshirt, and while five-year players are more likely to receive a medical hardship, what we're talking about here is the NCAA waiving the "Five-Year Rule" for a player who suffered a season-ending injury after playing in only one game of his fifth and final season of eligibility.

The NCAA has been far more liberal with the "Fifth-Year" exemption in recent years, and there are numerous examples of players who have come back for a sixth year of eligibility, especially when they barely play in a given season. Not saying this is what Boyett should do, or even wants to do, but pursuing a sixth year of eligibility is an option for him should he desire to suit up in college for another season. And options are good.

Let's not close that door until the NCAA slams it for him.

Just a few recent examples, and there are many, many more:

July 2012: Mississippi State tight end Marcus Green is granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and will play this season for the Bulldogs. Green, whose career has included several injuries, missed all but two games in 2008 with a hip injury and the entire 2010 season with a knee injury.

May 2012: Notre Dame basketball forward Scott Martin is granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Martin missed the entire 2009-10 season after suffering an ACL tear in a
preseason workout.

April 2012: NCAA grants "Five-Year" waiver for Ceola Clark, a second-team all-conference basketball pick and the Summit League's
defensive player of the year. Clark missed his entire freshman year
and all but seven games of his senior season because of injuries.

April 2012: NCAA grants Purdue forward Drey Mingo a sixth year of
eligibility, allowing her to play for the women's basketball team next
season. Mingo, who transferred from Maryland after her sophomore
year, contracted a life-threatening case of bacterial meningitis in late
November 2010, resulting in partial hearing loss. She missed four games
in 2010-11 and was limited while recovering. She also missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

March 2012: Minnesota men's basketball forward Trevor Mbakwe is granted a sixth year by the NCAA. A fifth-year senior, Mbakwe missed most of the 2011-12 season after tearing his right ACL in a Nov. 27, 2011 game.

Jan 2012: Boise State running back DJ Harper is granted a sixth year of eligibility. Harper has struggled with knee injuries during his career. He has played
in games during each of the last five seasons, but he played in just three
games in 2009 and 2010. Both seasons were cut short by ACL injuries to
the same knee.

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